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Finally, the A.T.F. Has a Permanent Director

By Dorothy J. Samuels August 1, 2013 6:18 pmAugust 1, 2013 6:18 pm

Jacquelyn Martin/Associated PressB. Todd Jones on Jun 11, 2013.

It took seven long years and a tense last-minute drama replete with arm-twisting, vote-changing, a not very subtle Democratic threat to revisit filibuster-reform, and a cross-country race back to Washington by the final “yes” vote needed to reach 60. And who knows how things would have turned out if the National Rifle Association hadn’t decided to stay neutral.

But at last the Senate has confirmed a permanent director for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives: B. Todd Jones, who has been serving as the acting A.T.F. chief since 2011. (That was only a part-time gig. He was also the U.S. Attorney for Minneapolis.)

So now what?
The N.R.A. and its allies on Capitol Hill have seen to it that the bureau lacks the resources and strong legal authority it needs to enforce the nation’s gun laws and protect public safety. Just for instance, the bureau only has sufficient funding to inspect gun dealers once every 5 years – on average. Realistically, this state of affairs is unlikely to change any time soon, given Washington’s budget-cutting mania and the gun lobby’s opposition to strengthening A.T.F.’s efforts.

But there are areas where the A.T.F. could do a more with the resources and powers it currently has. Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s group, Mayors Against Illegal Guns, and the Center for American Progress have pointed out several.

For example, Mr. Jones could work with the F.B.I. to establish a system for alerting local law enforcement when a domestic abuser, or other potentially dangerous prohibited purchaser, attempts to buy a gun and fails a background check. He could initiate a regulatory change requiring gun manufacturers to hide a second serial number on the inside of the weapon, which should reduce the number of failed traces due to tampering.

Finally, he could develop a risk assessment program to target “high risk” gun dealers with a unusually large number of lost or stolen guns.

Having waited seven years to get a permanent full-time A.T.F. director approved, we now enter a new phase: Waiting for real leadership and progress against gun violence.